Poet Rainer Stolz: Poems That Look Closely

Rainer Stolz is one of the quiet yet compelling voices in contemporary German poetry. His poems are attentive and concentrated. With just a few words, he captures everyday observations — precise, calm, and with a fine sensitivity to language.

Born in Hamburg in 1966, Stolz has lived in Berlin since the 1990s. The city plays a major role in many of his poems — not just as a backdrop, but often like a character one engages with. In his collection Während mich die Stadt erfindet (2007), Berlin appears in all its facets: street noise, people, billboards, and the small coincidences of daily life. The texts are quiet and clear, leaving a lasting impression.

Stolz’s poems are often brief but never superficial. He works in a variety of forms — from classical poetry to haiku, aphorisms, and even visual poetry. Yet he always stays close to lived experience. There are no grand narratives, just condensed moments: a glance, a thought, a street scene suddenly turning into something poetic. In Spötter und Schwärmer – Haiku-Vogelporträts (2012), he gives voice to birds through finely crafted, keenly observed haiku. He never reveals the species directly, inviting readers to guess. A playful and witty poetic riddle, rooted in nature and language.

Alongside his writing, Stolz has long been active in literary education. He teaches writing workshops, organizes poetry events, and collaborates with schools and cultural institutions — always aiming to connect language and social space.

His most recent book, flüchtige ankünfte, was published in autumn 2024. It gathers poems written between 2013 and 2023. Many of these pieces play with language, form, and perspective. They respond to what’s happening in society while always remaining poetic. Some poems use visual layouts or break with traditional structures — not for the sake of gimmickry, but with a clear poetic purpose.

Rainer Stolz shows that poetry today can still reflect our time — not through grand gestures, but through focused seeing and saying. His poems offer time to pause, to reread, to discover again and again. And they remind us that poetry is not just an art form, but a way of engaging with the world.

Selected Publications

Stuckbrüche
SuKuLTuR Verlag, 2006
– A collection of short poems, found texts, notes, and aphorisms. Small forms in which observations, thoughts, and language play meet.

Während mich die Stadt erfindet
Elfenbein Verlag, 2007
– Poems capturing urban life — especially in Berlin — in precise, poetic snapshots. A debut that walks attentively through the city.

Spötter und Schwärmer. Haiku-Vogelporträts
Edition Krautgarten, 2012
– Haiku-inspired poetry about birds. Humorous, light-footed, and sharply observed — reflections on nature with poetic wit.

Selbstporträt mit Chefkalender
Horlemann Verlag, 2014
– Poems balancing everyday observation and self-reflection. Thoughts on time, work, and identity — linguistically pared down and concise.

flüchtige ankünfte
KLAK Verlag, 2024
– A selection of poems from 2013 to 2023. Language experiments, wordplay, and social awareness in poetically crafted visual forms. A lyrical record in motion.